first waterfall...mile marker 11. Ley and Pat and I had been to this one before and Patrick actually climbed the bigger one behind it.
if you can see...this 2nd waterfall (the one behind the one above) had a rainbow at the bottom of it. A sure sign that someone was watching down on us that day...
this is Pat and Ley jumping off the 1st waterfall!
view of the coastline while driving.
found this trail that was supposed to have an amazing view...ended up it was! you could see this 200 foot waterfall called Lower Puohokamoa Falls...kind of scary up there.
Pat playing with his friends, the peacocks.
Steve making his jump debut into this tiny valley named Ching's Pond...scerrrry.
a picture of the road itself...our journey.
we thought we bought the real coronas...turns out, we got coronitas! (aka BABY BEER)
One of our stops-in a town called Nahiku. I have a video from here that i am going to try and post-but the beauty of this place is unimaginable. Even the pictures don't do it justice (or any of the sights on this tour, for that matter). Its insane and you realize how powerful the Ocean really is...enjoy the next few pics (same place):
We then found a trail that was supposed to lead to a hidden beach and pool...again, the beauty was amazing (and our book Maui Revealed was right once again)
everywhere we went we would find these "art exhibits" obviously put there by someone. I tried to research this and all i came up with was that people do it in order to pay respect to the Hawaiian deities. I wouldn't recommend moving them.
Our next stop was Waianapanapa State Park...
view (while we were eating) from above at Waianapanapa State Park
happy :)
view through the trees to the beach below.
The land was clearly a burial ground back in the day.
a view of an island in the middle there-people jump off the very tip, correctly named "bunny ears"
up close view of the lone palm on the island across the way
Black Sand Beach at Wai'anapanapa
This sign was posted right by the beach at Wai'anapanapa-who would want to swim now??
This is the legend of the cave that we went to-apparently (we didn't learn this until after our trip) you can swim under the cave and surface to an open room with a chair in the center-where the princess supposedly hid from her hubby.
Ley heading into the cave
scared to death-the water was FREEZING and some of you may not know this-but i have a HUGE, OVERTAKING fear of water-not so much the water itself, but what is underneath the water. Luckily, in this cave you could see right through the water to the bottom, but it was very dark (hints the fact that we couldn't get any pics of the cave water). My mental fear took over and i was the last to jump in, of course. VERY worth it, though.
Pat and i in the cave! we did it!! "This must be what the people in the Titanic felt like" (my quote after jumping in because it was THAT cold!)
back on the road-we passed the Hana Hotel, which is said to be the most expensive hotel on Maui. It is the only hotel in Hana and it looks extremely luxurious in the midst of all this nothingness.
setting up the tents...we finally arrived at our camping destination-Kipahulu.
our tents! all set up in our little nook in the woods.
Crews ready for some pigskin and dogs.
Ley and i enjoyed a baby coronita while the kids play.
the sun overhead-i thought it was a magical picture at the time.
another warning for us near the beach where we camped
and again...another incredibly frightening warning for us. danka.
the beach at our campsite-we couldn't get down there because of the rocks, but it appears that was a good thing, considering the sharks and dangerous tides. whew.
we made s'mores after our delicious dinner of dogs, burgs, and baked beans!
playing spades/cranium after dinner
the stars were so clear that night we stayed up to study the sky!
The next morning, we woke up and went to 7 sacred pools (or 'Ohe'o Gulch), but my camera was about to die, so here are some pictures courtesy of Ley Black!)
at one of the "pools"-this was the infinity style natural spring
checking it out.
Ley and i
Then we went to find Red Sand Beach (or as we like to call it, Red Rock Beach). It was a pretty rough trail to get to it, but it was completely worth it. There is a serenity about this beach that is indescribable. Perhaps because it is hidden away and not many people are back there. It is also known to be liked by nudists, and in fact, we did see a couple of nakees! what a treat!
beginning the trail to RedSand Beach
Here it is-there is little pocket pool created by the lava rocks, where it is a bit easier to swim in when the tide is really rough, however, they say its like swimming in a washing machine when the water is rough (which it was the day we were there).
Me, Ley, and Steve
Pat and i at Red Rock Beach
We then ventured to Koki and Hamoa Beach. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Hamoa Beach. I fell asleep and when i awoke-i found Patrick chilling hard by the water...all alone. Soaking it in, no doubt.
Adam has left the island and we had a big bash for him before he left!
Aloha, Adam! You're missed! Hope you're enjoying the South, though!
TODAY IS SHAUNTE'S BIRTHDAY!!! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Shauntelllllllllll! Happy birthday to you!! LOVE! LOVE!
Shaunte and i
a picture of the full moon one night at the beach. I think this is the night of the moonbow, however my camera would not capture it.
Patrick also went free diving with Adam before he left. They went to a beach in Makena and dove into a cave to find some turtles and even a white tip shark!
Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was wonderful!! 2 weeks from today we will be in Jackson!! Very excited to see everyone and especially our families!! We miss you all!!
XOXO/Aloha/Ciao/Peace out brahs and brahettes,
Lacey and Pat
